NJPW G1 Climax 2019

[SirEdger]

Ooooh, didn't think about that but you're onto something here.

[NintendoLogic]

I thought Moxley/Shingo was Mox's best match in New Japan so far. You can't go wrong with brawling combined with submission wrestling, and Mox's leg work was pretty fantastic. I especially appreciated how it led to the finish and wasn't just filler like in the Juice match. My favorite spot was Shingo barely beating the count only to immediately eat a knee trembler. I would've liked it more if that had led directly to the finish, but I guess they can't help themselves with the do-si-do finishing runs. Regardless, Mox is well on his way to becoming someone I can unreservedly get behind. He just needs to tone down the 90s edgelord aspects of his character and remove the world's slowest tope from his repertoire.

[gordi]

I enjoyed the hell out of Naito v Ishii. As Coffey said, it is a *sick* finishing stretch. 

[FMKK]

Is it just me or has this tournament somewhat exposed Jeff Cobb? Maybe it's on the booking but he really just comes off as generic hoss wrestler so far.

[SmartMark15]

1 hour ago, FMKK said:

Is it just me or has this tournament somewhat exposed Jeff Cobb? Maybe it's on the booking but he really just comes off as generic hoss wrestler so far.

My thoughts on Cobb exactly. The more he's had to work longer matches with more experienced workers, the worst he looks honestly.

[El-P]

6 hours ago, gordi said:

I enjoyed the hell out of Naito v Ishii. As Coffey said, it is a *sick* finishing stretch. 

Yes. And Ishii clearly is the MVP of the G1. Then again, isn't he the MVP of the G1 every year ?

3 hours ago, FMKK said:

Is it just me or has this tournament somewhat exposed Jeff Cobb? Maybe it's on the booking but he really just comes off as generic hoss wrestler so far.

Yes to this also. As someone who LOVED Matanza Cueto, Cobb has clearly been exposed in this setting. Hell, as much as I bagged on Micheal Elgin for being a spot worker and my least favourite guy in the G1 last year (despite having Fale, Tonga, Makabe), I must admit Elgin had better matches than Cobb has had thus far.

[FMKK]

Matanza was a good gimmick for him and a good environment for him because they could use his power but also surround him with a load of gimmick stuff.

Only Ishii has gotten a strong match out of him so for but tbh I don't even know if that was a top three Ishii match of the tournament (I haven't seen the Naito match yet though). Ishii is god.

[El-P]

17 minutes ago, FMKK said:

Only Ishii has gotten a strong match out of him so for but tbh I don't even know if that was a top three Ishii match of the tournament (I haven't seen the Naito match yet though). Ishii is god.

It was an excellent match, but Mox, White and Naito's matches were all (much) better to me. Yeah, Ishii is one of the few guys that strikes me as legit brillant, in the lines of Misawa, Kawada and a very few others.

[William Bologna]

They should put Cobb in a tag team, because he can't do 15 minutes on his own. Put him in with a better worker, let him do his big spots and maybe learn something.

[FMKK]

I also think I instinctively just think less of him since he revealed himself as a flat earther on Jericho's show. I'm sure plenty of wrestlers believe all sorts of dumb shit but just don't let me know about it!

[El-P]

8 minutes ago, FMKK said:

I also think I instinctively just think less of him since he revealed himself as a flat earther on Jericho's show. I'm sure plenty of wrestlers believe all sorts of dumb shit but just don't let me know about it!

A flat-earther from Hawaii, of all places. 

But yeah, we know too much, in general. It's easier to concentrate on someone's work (as a pro-wrestler, a musician, an actor, whatever) when you don't have the knowledge that they are dumb as a brick.

[NintendoLogic]

AJ Styles is a flat-earther too. Well, he doesn't believe in a flat earth per se, he just thinks there are some things about the "official" story that don't add up. He's just asking questions.

[El-P]

47 minutes ago, NintendoLogic said:

AJ Styles is a flat-earther too. Well, he doesn't believe in a flat earth per se, he just thinks there are some things about the "official" story that don't add up. He's just asking questions.

He's a religious bigot, so that doesn't surprise me. He probably thinks dinosaurs and human beings lived at the same time too.

[Jmare007]

I've seen 2 Cobb matches and he indeed has been very disappointing in them. I'd like to think he'll get better the more tours he gets to work with this roster though. Before Elgin jumped the shark, he had a nice run in NJ which I think started in his 2nd G-1 (though I could be wrong and he surprised most of us in his first G1 in 15'?).

Putting Cobb in a tag team wouldn't fix anything though, as tag teams in New Japan are basically filler for the most part. I don't think he'd learn much tbh. Shit, once they put Anderson on a tag team his singles career went to shit.

 

 

PS: Speaking of Elgin, one of the most intriguing matches this year for me is him vs Sekimoto next month at Korakuen, specially this version of Sekimoto.

[Coffey]

I really liked Cobb in LU as well. I've pretty much just liked him less & less with the more I see of him outside of LU. So now I'm thinking maybe I just liked Matanza. Also, honestly, he just looks super generic without the gimmick, too. I think the mask helped him.

[El-P]

40 minutes ago, Coffey said:

Also, honestly, he just looks super generic without the gimmick, too. I think the mask helped him.

With the whole production of LU and the freaky mask, Matanza looked like a legit monster. Jeff Cobb looks like a big Hawaiian that does impressive power spots. Maybe he was more comfortable playing a role behind the mask than he is being his old former olympian self.

[FMKK]

On 7/25/2019 at 11:03 PM, El-P said:

It was an excellent match, but Mox, White and Naito's matches were all (much) better to me. Yeah, Ishii is one of the few guys that strikes me as legit brillant, in the lines of Misawa, Kawada and a very few others.

Finally watched the Naito match. Ishii is god.

[Calvin]

G1 CLIMAX 29 - DAY 8

#1. Toru Yano [4] vs. Juice Robinson [4]

Unfunny garbage.

*

#2. Taichi [2] vs. Hirooki Goto [2]

Goto tries to replicate the structure and drama of Shingo’s match with Taichi, and he fails miserably. 

*¼

#3. Shingo Takagi [4] vs. Jon Moxley [6]

This is a great technical/brawling fusion style match that works due to Moxley’s compelling limbwork/control segments, Shingo’s inspired selling, and the sense of urgency conveyed by both competitors. Most importantly, the match never overstays its welcome and every minute of it feels efficiently utilized. 

****

#4. Jay White [0] vs. Jeff Cobb [2]

Strong effort from White here, but he’s not quite good enough to carry Cobb to a genuinely good match.

**¾

#5. Tetsuya Naito [4] vs. Tomohiro Ishii [4]

This was a tad too spotty for my tastes, and I felt some of the no-sell segments didn’t work, but it was mostly a solid back-and-forth between two wrestlers with chemistry and history buoyed by an awesome, awesome crowd.

***
 

[NintendoLogic]

It's pretty clear at this point that having Lance Archer and Bad Luck Fale in the same block was a mistake. I mean, there's no way to make Fale look good, but he looks like an even bigger piece of shit when Archer is on the same card in the same role but light-years better in every way. Then again, I don't think anybody expected Archer to step up the way he did, so I guess hindsight is 20/20.

KENTA/Okada was basically KENTA plugged into the Okada big match formula. It started out slow but picked up about ten minutes in and got really good by the end. I think the two have a better match in them.

 

[Jmare007]

Man, I don't think people realize how fucking amazing Shingo vs Ishii is going to be. That shit has MOTY written all over it if Yokohama shows up and gives them a good atmosphere.

[Tetsujin]

Naito was amazing in his tag match against Mox, what a superstar he still is.

Archer/Ibushi and EVIL/ZSJ were pretty damn good, but man Okada/KENTA was decent at best. KENTA tried and he did had his moments here and there, but Okada has become a very lazy big match worker (and I hate to call a pro wrestler 'lazy'). And the fucking Gedo booking again making Okada unbeatable, just to make SANADA's victory even more predictable. It sucks.

[Boss Rock]

Yano-Juice: **1/2 Not up to par with Yano's other matches and was very much just "there". Still, liked the psychology of Juice knowing Yano well and not falling for any of his tricks.

Goto-Taichi: **3/4 I thought their Power Struggle match last year was pretty solid, but this just fell flat. Really felt like Goto was half-assing it with drama and intensity but putting nothing behind his moves. Taichi's effort was admirable though. Have never been the guy's biggest fan but he's been acquitting himself fairly well.

Shingo-Mox ****1/4 Great stuff. Really fun bombfest with smart limb work. It continues to amaze me how much better and focused Mox has been since leaving WWE. Shingo's selling was also good.

Jay-Cobb *** Not a bad match and had some cool moments, but there was just no spark to take it to the next level. I agree with the consensus that Cobb has been exposed, although his past few years outside LU don't hold up super well either.

Naito-Ishii ****1/4 With their chemistry, it was going to take a catastrophe to screw this one up. Super compelling bombfest that made me question the ending even if the victor was a foregone conclusion. Ishii continues to solidify himself as tournament MVP.

 

Ibushi-Archer ****1/4 If you still weren't sold on Archer being good now, look no further than this match. Awesome sprint with Ibushi putting on the fieriest David performance in recent memory. Archer is everything Fale is not: an explosive, intimidating, big man wrestler. The last 30 seconds might be the best of the tournament so far.

Ospreay-Fale *** The overbooking actually kind of worked in this match considering how bad Fale is, but it definitely got out of hand near the end. Still, a great babyface performance by Will. I seriously hope this is Fale's last tournament as every solid match he's has had this year has been solely on his opponent.

EVIL-Sabre ***3/4 The opening minutes had impressive mat work but not much substance. Things definitely picked up in the second half though with lots of cool learned psychology, submission battles, and pin reversals. EVIL is pretty inconsistent but he and Sabre have very good chemistry together.

Tanahashi-SANADA **** Not as good as their NJ Cup match, but sprint-ier Tana is always fun to watch. Good back-and-forth action and quite a bit of reversals (the Skull End reversal spot is a bit overplayed). Definitely worth a watch.

Okada-KENTA **** Expectedly a bit slow in the beginning. I really wish Okada would show more urgency in the opening stretches of these longer matches. Still, a very good match with KENTA disrespecting Okada and getting his dander up, only to cut him off at every turn. Okada managed to add a few twists with a sort of modified Northern Lights Suplex and a corner dropkick. Very good but could have been great if they picked the pace up a little.

[FMKK]

Naito being a massive prick in the tag math today has got me really excited for the singles with Mox, even though the offence looked light as shit when they were actually fighting

[El-P]

I swear I thought Okada vs KENTA was going broadway. And they actually teased it at the beginning by starting so slow. That's also KENTA looking the best thus far. Honestly, when you think from where he comes from (injuries, years of unlearning how to properly work, confidence destroyed), it's almost a miracle he looks that good actually, even if in a japanese context, he may not look as hot as people thought he would, but it's not 2010 anymore. Anyway, I thought it was an excellent match and they clearly can do better in the future.

EVIL also has looked as good as he ever has to me against ZSJ. Good showing thus far for a guy I don't exactly care for usually. Sanada vs Tana was predictably excellent too. No real great match on this show, but the G1 keeps on being real interesting. (yeah, Fale needs to be out next year, what the hell does he bring to the table anymore ? Pieter ? although I admit the swerve with Uno at the end was cool)

[Boss Rock]

2 hours ago, El-P said:

although I admit the swerve with Uno at the end was cool)

Exactly. The ref bump interference only to have another ref comes out has always seemed dumb to me because...did they seriously not see what happened on a monitor backstage?